From TV commercials to magazine covers, everywhere we look today we see women with goddess figures and men with bodies that make us go weak at the knees. The mental image that Hollywood portrays to us everyday clearly shows that skinny is in. We’ve all seen fashions and trends come and go, but some things are meant to be left just the way they are.

With “Skinny Minnie” as today’s trend title, there is another word that has become popular among young adults. With the desires to look like their Hollywood icons, young adults go through extreme and absurd measures to reach their goal. From anorexia to bulimia, teens put themselves in harms way and soon develop what we all call eating disorders.

So, with so many people trying so hard to become skinner and sexier, instead of healthier and happier, another issue arises when sexual intercourse occurs. With no guarantee that a child will not be conceived, young teen girls become pregnant. The United States has the highest teen pregnancy rate in first-world countries and with statistics from the Center for Disease control, it is shown that one-third of these girls get pregnant before they are 20.

Still young and wanting to fit in, teen girls who become pregnant try even harder to keep off the pounds.  This has been given a name that is commonly known today as Pregorexia. This simply means that a girl is pregnant and anorexic, which in simpler terms means she’s pregnant and does not eat. No longer eating for just herself, the mother is literally starving not only her own body, but her baby inside.

However, due even to Hollywood’s pregnant celebrities, teen girls see their “baby bump” as fat. Pregnant celebrities watch their weight to an extreme degree because they are in the public eye all the time, but they do so with doctors and specialists help. Though this information gets overlooked, it is something that should be well known because there is nothing entertaining about starving yourself, purging, or over-exercising while pregnant. This can put the mother and baby in serious risk. Depression, Insomnia, Hypertension, and Anxiety are all risks of the mother. For the child, the risks include: respiratory problems, delayed development, low-birth rate, and still born.

With the odds in no one’s favor, it is best for the mother to eat well for herself and for her child. The best way to avoid this problem all together is by practicing abstinence. If becoming pregnant does happen, you can look at that “baby bump” as a sign of the life that is living inside of you like Senior Brittney Brooks.

Pregnant her junior year, Brittney was excited about having her baby boy. She began to eat healthier for her and her baby because she replied, “It wasn’t just about me anymore.” Today, Brittney enjoys her almost one year old baby Jace, and although she still has some of the extra pounds from her pregnancy, she wouldn’t trade Jace’s health for the opportunity to remain slim throughout the nine months. So, you can be healthy and happy during a pregnancy. Though the pounds won’t just disappear afterwards, you can begin healthy exercising to get your body back in shape.